Archive for June, 2016

Dr.Chia graduated with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the National University of Singapore in 1999, for which she was awarded the Singapore Medical Association Bronze Medal for being 2nd in the overall examination. She was also honored with the Dean's List Award, the Yeoh Khuan Joo Gold Medal (Surgery) and the Nestle Book Prize ( Paediatrics Clinical Clerkship). She decided to pursue her passion for internal medicine and completed her residency at the Singapore General Hospital. She obtained membership of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom in 2002. Following this, she embarked on her fel-lowship training in the field of Endocrinology at the Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hos-pital (SGH).

In 2004, whilst still pursuing her subspecialty training in Endocrinology, Dr Chia was given a research fellow-ship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. During this one and a half year period, she conducted research on blood markers for the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer, for which she was awarded the Merlin Bumpus Young Researcher Award (2nd prize) by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Upon her return to Singa-pore, she completed the rest of her Endocrinology fellowship in 2007, and was admitted as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

Dr Chia has always been passionate about teaching, and has been heavily involved with both undergraduate and postgraduate education. She was Chairman of the SGH Division of Medicine Medical Officer Education Committee from 2006 to 2008, as well as a Clinical Tutor at the Yong Lou Lin School of Medicine at the Na-tional University of Singapore.

Dr Chia has wide ranging interests particularly in thyroid disease and diabetes. She is the current chairman of the SGH Thyroid Group, a multidisciplinary association of physicians with an interest in the care of patients with thyroid cancer. She is the only endocrinologist in Sinapore so far to receive the specialist credential En-docrine Certification in Neck Ultrasound (ECNU) from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). This rigorous credential is only awarded to endocrinologists who have satisfied a high standard for performing thyroid and neck ultrasounds, as well as ultrasound-guided biopsies of thyroid nodules.

Dr Chia also has a great interest in managing diabetes, and strongly believes in empowering both physician and patient in combating this growing problem. To this end, she has given numerous educational talks on dia-betes to the medical community, both internationally and locally. Besides this, Dr Chia also manages oste-oporosis, calcium disorders, obesity, polycystic ovarian disease, lipid disorders, pituitary and adrenal disorders and other hormonal evaluations. She is the incumbent honorary secretary of the Endocrine & Metabolic Soci-ety of Singapore and the Chapter of Endocrinologists, Academy of Medicine. She is an active member of The Endocrine Society (USA) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE).

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The Endocrine Clinic | Singapore Hormone Specialists

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells that are present in practically all tissues as a specialized population of mural cells/pericytes that lie on the abluminal side of blood vessels. Originally identified within the bone marrow (BM) stroma, not only do they provide microenvironmental support for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but can also differentiate into various mesodermal lineages. MSCs can easily be isolated from the BM and subsequently expand in vitro and in addition they exhibit intriguing immunomodulatory properties, thereby emerging as attractive candidates for various therapeutic applications. This review addresses the concept of BM MSCs via a hematologist's point of view. In this context it discusses the stem cell properties that have been attributed to BM MSCs, as compared to those of the prototypic hematopoietic stem cell model and then gives a brief overview of the in vitro and vivo features of the former, emphasizing on their immunoregulatory properties and their hematopoiesis-supporting role. In addition, the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of BM MSCs within the context of a defective microenvironment, such as the one characterizing Myelodysplastic Syndromes are described and the potential involvement of these cells in the pathophysiology of the disease is discussed. Finally, emerging clinical applications of BM MSCs in the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are reviewed and potential hazards from MSC use are outlined.

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Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells: biological properties ...

Name:_____________________________________

**In fruit flies, eye color is a sex linked trait. Red is dominant to white.**

1. What are the sexes and eye colors of flies with the following genotypes?

X R X r _________ X R Y __________ X r X r __________

X R X R ____________ X r Y ____________

2. What are the genotypes of these flies:

white eyed, male ____________ red eyed female (heterozygous) ________

white eyed, female ___________ red eyed, male ___________

3. Show the cross of a white eyed female X r X r with a red-eyed male X R Y .

4. Show a cross between a pure red eyed female and a white eyed male. What are the genotypes of the parents:

___________ and _______________

How many are:

white eyed, male ____ white eyed, female ____ red eyed, male ____ red eyed, female ____

5. Show the cross of a red eyed female (heterozygous) and a red eyed male.

What are the genotypes of the parents?

___________ & ________________

How many are:

white eyed, male ____ white eyed, female ____ red eyed, male ____ red eyed, female ____

Math: What if in the above cross, 100 males were produced and 200 females. How many total red-eyed flies would there be? ________

6. In humans, hemophilia is a sex linked trait. Females can be normal, carriers, or have the disease. Males will either have the disease or not (but they wont ever be carriers)

X h Y= male, hemophiliac

Show the cross of a man who has hemophilia with a woman who is a carrier.

What is the probability that their children will have the disease? __________

7. A woman who is a carrier marries a normal man. Show the cross. What is the probability that their children will have hemophilia? What sex will a child in the family with hemophilia be?

8. A woman who has hemophilia marries a normal man. How many of their children will have hemophilia, and what is their sex?

9. In cats, the gene for calico (multicolored) cats is codominant. Females that receive a B and an R gene have black and oRange splotches on white coats. Males can only be black or orange, but never calico.

Heres what a calico females genotype would look like: X B X R

Show the cross of a female calico cat with a black male?

What percentage of the kittens will be black and male? _________ What percentage of the kittens will be calico and male? _________ What percentage of the kittens will be calico and female? _________

10. Show the cross of a female black cat, with a male orange cat.

What percentage of the kittens will be calico and female? _____What color will all the male cats be? ______

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Genetics - X Linked Problems - The Biology Corner

Neurons created from chemically induced neural stem cells. The cells were created from skin cells that were reprogrammed into neural stem cells using a cocktail of only nine chemicals. This is the first time cellular reprogramming has been accomplished without adding external genes to the cells. (credit: Mingliang Zhang, PhD, Gladstone Institutes)

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have used chemicals to transform skin cells into heart cells and brain cells, instead of adding external genes making this accomplishment a breakthrough, according to the scientists.

The research lays the groundwork for one day being able to regenerate lost or damaged cells directly with pharmaceutical drugs a more efficient and reliable method to reprogram cells and one that avoids medical concerns surrounding genetic engineering.

Instead, in two studies published in an open-access paper in Scienceand in Cell Stem Cell, the team of scientists at the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone used chemical cocktails to gradually coax skin cells to change into organ-specific stem-cell-like cells and ultimately into heart or brain cells.

This method brings us closer to being able to generate new cells at the site of injury in patients, said Gladstone senior investigatorSheng Ding, PhD, the senior author on both studies. Our hope is to one day treat diseases like heart failure or Parkinsons disease with drugs that help the heart and brain regenerate damaged areas from their own existing tissue cells. This process is much closer to the natural regeneration that happens in animals like newts and salamanders, which has long fascinated us.

Chemically Repaired Hearts

A human heart cell that was chemically reprogrammed from a human skin cell (credit: Nan Cao/Gladstone Institutes)

Transplanted adult heart cells do not survive or integrate properly into the heart and few stem cells can be coaxed into becoming heart cells.

Instead, in theSciencestudy, the researchers used a cocktail of nine chemicals to change human skin cells into beating heart cells. By trial and error, they found the best combination of chemicals to begin the process by changing the cells into a state resembling multipotent stem cells (cells that can turn into many different types of cells in a particular organ). A second cocktail of chemicals and growth factors then helped transition the cells to become heart muscle cells.

With this method, more than 97% of the cells began beating, a characteristic of fully developed, healthy heart cells. The cells also responded appropriately to hormones, and molecularly, they resembled heart muscle cells, not skin cells. Whats more, when the cells were transplanted into a mouse heart early in the process, they developed into healthy-looking heart muscle cells within the organ.

The ultimate goal in treating heart failure is a robust, reliable way for the heart to create new muscle cells, said Srivastava, co-senior author on the Science paper. Reprogramming a patients own cells could provide the safest and most efficient way to regenerate dying or diseased heart muscle.

Rejuvenating the brain withneural stem cell-like cells

In the second study, authored by Gladstone postdoctoral scholar Mingliang Zhang, PhD, and published inCell Stem Cell, the scientists created neural stem-cell-like cells from mouse skin cells using a similar approach.

The chemical cocktail again consisted of nine molecules, some of which overlapped with those used in the first study. Over ten days, the cocktail changed the identity of the cells, until all of the skin-cell genes were turned off and the genes of the neural stem-cell-like cells were gradually turned on.

When transplanted into mice, theneural stem-cell-like cells spontaneously developed into the three basic types of brain cells: neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. The neuralstem-cell-like cells were also able to self-replicate, making them ideal for treating neurodegenerative diseases or brain injury.

With their improved safety, these neural stem-cell-like cells could one day be used for cell replacement therapy in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers disease, according to co-senior authorYadong Huang, MD, PhD, a senior investigator at Gladstone. In the future, we could even imagine treating patients with a drug cocktail that acts on the brain or spinal cord, rejuvenating cells in the brain in real time.

Gladstone Institutes | Chemically Reprogrammed Beating Heart Cell

Abstract ofConversion of human fibroblasts into functional cardiomyocytes by small molecules

Reprogramming somatic fibroblasts into alternative lineages would provide a promising source of cells for regenerative therapy. However, transdifferentiating human cells to specific homogeneous, functional cell types is challenging. Here we show that cardiomyocyte-like cells can be generated by treating human fibroblasts with a combination of nine compounds (9C). The chemically induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (ciCMs) uniformly contracted and resembled human cardiomyocytes in their transcriptome, epigenetic, and electrophysiological properties. 9C treatment of human fibroblasts resulted in a more open-chromatin conformation at key heart developmental genes, enabling their promoters/enhancers to bind effectors of major cardiogenic signals. When transplanted into infarcted mouse hearts, 9C-treated fibroblasts were efficiently converted to ciCMs. This pharmacological approach for lineage-specific reprogramming may have many important therapeutic implications after further optimization to generate mature cardiac cells.

Abstract ofPharmacological Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Neural Stem Cells by Signaling-Directed Transcriptional Activation

Cellular reprogramming using chemically defined conditions, without genetic manipulation, is a promising approach for generating clinically relevant cell types for regenerative medicine and drug discovery. However, small-molecule approaches for inducing lineage-specific stem cells from somatic cells across lineage boundaries have been challenging. Here, we report highly efficient reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into induced neural stem cell-like cells (ciNSLCs) using a cocktail of nine components (M9). The resulting ciNSLCs closely resemble primary neural stem cells molecularly and functionally. Transcriptome analysis revealed that M9 induces a gradual and specific conversion of fibroblasts toward a neural fate. During reprogramming specific transcription factors such as Elk1 and Gli2 that are downstream of M9-induced signaling pathways bind and activate endogenous master neural genes to specify neural identity. Our study provides an effective chemical approach for generating neural stem cells from mouse fibroblasts and reveals mechanistic insights into underlying reprogramming processes.

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Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Heart and Brain Cells ...

Submitted by Lifeline Skin Care on Wed, 2013-05-15 00:00

Biologists are working diligently to find ways to repair diseased tissues or spinal cord injuries with stem cells. Scientists dont have all of those answers yet, but heres what they have figured out: how to repair skin aging with stem cells. Front and center of all of that attention is Lifeline Skin Carethe first anti-aging skin care brand based on human, non-embryonic stem cells.

Human stem cells have the remarkable ability to develop into many different cell types in the bodylungs, liver, hair, skin, etc. But as we get older, the role of stem cells changesand stem cells become the chief repair mechanism for tissue that has become aged, injured or damaged. Adult stem cells remain dormant until they detect cellular damage; then they work to repair or replace the damaged cell. Its this ability that makes stem cells of great interest in repairing skin aging.

The nutrient-rich growth factors, peptides and proteins that are contained in the stem cells are the workhorses for skin repair. The growth factors are responsible for cellular growth, proliferation and repair. They play an important role in maintaining healthy skin structure and function. They help repair wounds; they help promote the formation of collagen; they help regenerate new, healthy tissue. The result: reduced hyperpigmentation, enhanced elasticity, and reduced fine lines and wrinkles.

The genes that are most important to the health and appearance of the skin are Elastin, Collagen, Epidermal Growth Factors, Keratinocyte Growth Factors and Fibroblast Growth Factors.

Laboratory studies showed how exposure to Lifeline creams can increase the expression level of key proteins:

Collagen is the most important protein and provides structure and firmness to the skin. Lifelines stem cell extract increased collagen 42%-55%.

Elastin is responsible for load-bearing and elasticity. Its crucial for keeping skin smooth, supple, firm and tight. The key ingredient in Lifelines stem cell extract increased elastin 46%.

Epidermal growth factors (EGF) stimulate cells to divide. Its natural for skin cells to continue to divide, but with age this process slows. Epidermal growth factors help speed up the renewal process, speeding the production of new, healthy skin cells. The stem cell growth factors contained in Lifelines stem cell extract increased EGF a remarkable 436%.

Keratinocyte growth factors (KGF) help repair injured skin by stimulating cellular proliferation.The stem cell growth factors contained in Lifelines stem cell extract increased KGF 58%.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) help repair damaged tissue and promote wound healing. They also play an important role in repairing post-procedural skin damage. The growth factors contained in Lifelines stem cell extract increased FGF 200%.

Lifeline Skin Care serums contain human stem cell growth factors which are taken from human, non-embryonic stem cells. It is this mixture that regulates collagen, elastin and cell proliferation, making the skin cells healthier, stronger and younger-looking.

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The Benefits of Using Growth Factors from Human Stem Cells ...

Hypogonadism: Introduction

Hypogonadism: Medical term for a defect of the reproductive system that results in lack of function of the gonads (ovaries or testes). More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Hypogonadism is available below.

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See full list of 99 causes of Hypogonadism

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Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Hypogonadism:

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

Misdiagnosed weight-related causes of infertility: A woman's weight status can affect her level of fertility. Although obesity or overweight can in themselves reduce fertility, there are...read more

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Visit our research pages for current research about Hypogonadism treatments.

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Hypogonadism include:

See full list of 55 Clinical Trials for Hypogonadism

Types of Hypogonadism

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Condition resulting from or characterized by abnormally decreased functional activity of the gonads, with retardation of growth and sexual development. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Incompetence of the gonads (especially in the male with low testosterone); results in deficient development of secondary sex characteristics and (in prepubertal males) a body with long legs and a short trunk - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Hypogonadism is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Hypogonadism, or a subtype of Hypogonadism, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population. Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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Hypogonadism Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments and Causes ...